by Doug Taylor Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, Bethesda, MD

I write this column today for my children and for the other children of our church. There were terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon last Tuesday, September 11. I'm sure you have all heard about it from your family and friends. I am sure you have many feelings and questions about these events. I hope you have had opportunities to talk about what is going on and to ask questions. The adults in your lives, your parents, family members, ministers and teachers, are feeling many of the same things you are feeling. You may be feeling helpless or angry, you may feel sad or scared. Sometimes you may feel all of these at once, other times you may feel none of it, you may feel numb or shocked. And sometimes, you may find you haven't been thinking about it at all. This is considered normal. Many of us are experiencing this. My children have been talking with me and Sidra about what has happened. Many people have been hurt and many people have died. We give thanks that none of the people we know and love were hurt or killed. Still, it is hard to feel safe like we used to. We give thanks that we love each other and no matter what happens, we always will have that. Our strong love for each other, however, prompted a question from my kids that is very haunting. "Why do people hate so much?" As a deeply religious person, I believe in the basic goodness of all people. I also believe that each person has the potential to do both good and evil things. The people who caused this hurt were very angry at our country. Anger is a very strong feeling and can push love out it you let it. I could say more in answer to this because "hating" is not a simple thing. But I believe that this is a beginning to understanding. Roger and I are always available to talk with members of the church, especially the children. You can call me or stop in.

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